Fiddlehead ferns, which are so named because they resemble the curled scroll of a violin, don’t taste like a whole lot, but they pickle quite well. I make a half pint or so every spring, because I like to serve them in martinis for those who are adventuresome and not picky about their condiments. They look like green caterpillars rolled up in the bottom of the glass. A bit of sweetness comes off the pickle (from adding sugar to the vinegar solution) and that is just what you need to replace vermouth in the drink. Pickled fiddleheads are quite snappy and nice, even if the mouthfeel is a bit hairy.

Fiddlehead ferns refer to the head of any unfurled frond, but usually the ostrich fern and cinnamon fern, though others are edible. They are in season for a couple of weeks in the spring, primarily in New England but also in northern regions across the country (Tide Head, New Brunswick claims to be the Fiddlehead Capitol of the World) and can have an asparagus-like flavor. I’ve boiled them and served then with lemony butter and sometimes I throw a handful into a sauté of asparagus. To preserve them for this kind of application, boil until al dente and freeze.

When selecting fiddleheads, buy very bright green, firm tight curls. Don’t buy fiddleheads that are browning—they are too tough. If you pick fiddleheads, three tops per plant is recommended for a sustainable harvest. Over-picking may kill the plant. Be sure to cook fiddleheads thoroughly as lightly cooked fiddleheads can upset your stomach, and some fiddleheads that come from ferns other than Ostrich and Cinnamon may be carcinogenic.

Prepare the fiddleheads by clipping the stem close to the curl and removing any brown papery sheath that might be attached to the curl. Soak in cool water, swishing around gently to loosen any grit (fiddleheads are curled as they push up through the dirt).

In a medium size pot add all the ingredients except for the fiddleheads and bring to a boil. Drop in the fiddleheads and boil gently for 5 minutes.

Have ready 2 sterilized half pint jars and bands, and two new lids with rubberized flanges that have been softened in simmering water. (To sterilize jars and bands, boil them in water for 10 minutes at sea level. Add 1 minute for every 1000 feet above sea level.)

Strain the fiddleheads and garlic slices but keep the vinegar solution. Pack the fiddleheads into the jars, distribute the garlic evenly, and cover with the vinegar solution leaving ½ inch headroom. The fiddleheads may float. It’s okay.

Place on the lids and screw on the bands fingertip tight. Place the jars in a pot with a rack and cover with 3 inches of water. Cover the pot and turn up the heat. Bring the water to a boil and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, let the jars rest for about five minutes so they settle down (the liquid inside the jar will be boiling, too), then remove and allow to cool for about 12 hours.

Check the seals and store in a cool dark place for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening.

Note: It is very possible that the vinegar solution in the jar will become a kind of grayish green and murky. It is okay—the solution is being discolored by precipitates that are thrown off by the ferns.

Now for just a cool little story. My husband Kevin is the Director of the Cooper Union Institute for Sustainability and he organized a lecture by Helena Norberg Hodge, who wrote a beautiful and important book called Ancient Futures. As is usual with these things, afterwards there was a dinner at the school president’s residence. I sat next to a guy named Neil Rock who told me that his dad, Stanley Rock, invented Shugarwhite, a white sugar that sticks to donuts without melting. If you’ve ever baked and then doused your cake with powdered sugar only to see the sugar disappear into the cake and wondered what you were doing wrong, now you know.

So I was ooing and ahhing over this revelation (and a very nice silky parmesan panna cotta appetizer they served as well), when a really attractive brown-eyed woman who was sitting a few people down from us got curious about what we were talking about and I told her, This man’s father invented a kind of powdered sugar that doesn’t melt into the donut! And she said, Oh, my dad was a baker, too. He invented the aluminum cake pan. And then we introduced ourselves and she said her name was Sara Lee.

Eugenia Bone, a veteran food writer who has published in many national magazines and newspapers, is also a cookbook author. She is the author of Well-Preserved (Clarkson Potter 2009). She has contributed to many cookbooks and a few literary journals, been nominated for a variety of food writing awards and participated in radio, interactive and online interviews, in addition to appearing multiple times on television. She lives in New York City and Crawford, Colo.

The secret to tasty food is homemade and seasonal. To do that, you've got to put up food. Well-Preserved reports on small batch preservation year round, and generates recipes from those preserved foods.